One Thousand and One Nights
by GreenEmeraldGirlxoxo
Summary: Arabian AU. Haruka's search for an oasis ends when he finds himself in Rin's kingdom. There he meets Gou, an enslaved Princess desperate for freedom. Harugou.
1. Chapter 1

**Pairings: **Haruka Nanase X Gou/Kou Matsuoka

**Timeline: **Arabian AU

**Warnings: **Maybe eventual smut and slightly homoerotic situations? (Rating subject to change)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Free! Iwatobi Swim Club nor do I own the cover photo.

**Authors Note: **So I'll admit, the sexy, half-naked Haru in the ending theme song was enough to get me thinking on an Arabian story and once I saw Rin, I knew the plot. Or rather lack of plot but it was the temptation from those damn handsome (and somewhat gay?) men that spurred this little tale. Enjoy!

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(◦′ᆺ‵◦) ° ✧❥✧¸.•*¨*✧ ✧ ℒℴѵℯ ✧ ✧*¨*•.❥

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_It's too hot._

His sweaty grip on the rope attached to his camel loosened just a tad while he took a moment to readjust his scarves around his nose. A blistering, desert wind whipped up a large amount of sand in the young man's face. He coughed.

While his feet sunk ankle deep in the warm sand, he figured he should have counted his blessing that a town was in view. The town would provide relief from the suffocated feeling he had due to this outlandish heat.

He reached down to grasp his water pouch with his free hand, dismayed when he found it empty. He tipped the container back, desperate for even a tiny drop, dejected when it was clear the pouch was indeed bone dry.

_It's too hot for this…_

* * *

"What do you mean there's no water?" Haruka whispered, a sharp edge to his voice. The olive green haired man shrugged, tipping over his own beautifully crafted jug just to prove he didn't have water.

"This town's been dry for a while now… People are moving to the next town because it's supposed to have water," he said, setting the jug aside. He inclined his head, watching Haruka curiously.

Haruka clenched his fingers into a fist and mentally sighed. There was no point in him staying here if there isn't water. His disappointment over this fact weighed heavier on him than he would have expected. Although with miles of desert separating this town from the next, Haruka wondered if he would ever reach the next town before he keeled over. If finding water was this difficult, would he ever come across an oasis?

"I can show you the fastest way to get there, if you'd like," the taller man said. "I have to move anyways and travelling alone can get boring. I'm Makoto." Makoto offered his hand.

Staring at his hand unblinkingly, Haruka genuinely considered his proposition. If he went with Makoto, he wouldn't be subject to his own thoughts and he'd get to the next town faster with Makoto's aid.

"Haru," he answered, shaking Makoto's hand. Makoto smiled.

* * *

The next town was every bit of the disappointment the first one was. The town which should have promised crystal clear water offered nothing more than dry jerky and shade. Makoto suggested they stop at an inn which hopefully would have some water for them to replenish themselves.

"We only have a little," the innkeeper claimed, holding a suspiciously large jug closer to his chest.

Haruka frowned, just a tad – so the corners of his lips twisted down ever so slightly – and tossed a sack of coins on the counter. The dark blue haired man's eyes widened considerably and counted the coins. He grinned, adjusted his glasses and asked for their water pouches.

"Rei-chan, what are you doing?" another man – or should he say boy? – rounded the corner. Rei stiffened but nonetheless turned to the blonde.

"I'm receiving compensation from these men for water," Rei answered, his voice taut. He pushed the stack of coins towards the other man.

Observing the stack, he peered up at Haruka and Makoto with gleaming pink eyes. "Welcome!"

* * *

"Are you following us?" Haruka asked, annoyance heavily lacing his voice. Nagisa shrugged innocently and nudged Rei to come up with an answer.

Rei struggled for a moment before he said, "Yes."

"Rei-chan!" Nagisa scolded, despite the large grin on his face. "You heard those travellers, Haru-chan. Baghdad is the only city left with water."

Haruka simply picked up the pace, fixing his scarf over his mouth. With his free hand, he gripped the hilt to his dagger and sent the men accompanying him a warning glare.

Nagisa gave a sigh and turned to Rei and Makoto with large, puppy dog eyes. "Let's make him our friend."

"Leave him be for now," Makoto reasoned, offering the shorter man a weak smile. Despite not knowing Haruka for a long period of time, he figured that getting him to open up would first result in them leaving him alone for a while.

Nagisa pouted but nevertheless, heeded Makoto's words. They travelled in relative silence, aside from Nagisa's aimless chattering that eventually turned into a dull murmur in Haruka's head, and slowed when the gigantic walls of Baghdad loomed above them.

They were immediately imprisoned on the charge of suspicion.

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"Who are you?" the king's voice boomed above them, the power behind his words lingered in the air longer than any of them would have preferred. He sat in his throne, legs crossed; his hand was under his chin and a haughty expression on his sharp face. The setting sun behind him cast an ominous shadow over the right side of his face.

Haruka arched his face up to meet the cold, red eyes of the king. Despite his wrists being chained to this ankles, Haruka was determined to match the king's icy expression. "Haru."

The king's laugh was devoid of any real emotion other than distaste. "Are you a spy? Have you come to steal my gold or the princess' chastity?"

"We have come for no such reason," Haruka objected, his sapphire eyes hardening. "We came for water and nothing more."

Seconds stretched into minutes while the king appraised the four men chained together in front of him. Lazily, a grin spread across his face as he laughed, joyfully, clutching his sides from mirth.

"I see," he gasped between his hoots, gesturing to a slave next to him. "Have Gou bring these men some water. Oh, and unchain them." The slave nodded while the guards removed their chains.

Haruka rubbed at his bruised wrists as he moved into a more comfortable seated position. He noticed with a slight amusement that his companions were in the same state as him. The king's facial features had softened considerably.

Two slaves peeled the curtains away for a beautiful girl to walk through. In her hands she held a large, ornate jug, sloshing from the water inside it, with white lilies painted on the sides of the blue ceramic container. Her burgundy hair fell in waves behind her, laced with jewels and a translucent azure fabric covered her mouth. Her matching azure outfit was a stark contrast to her hair and ruby eyes as it also exposed her slim stomach entirely.

The only thing that threw off her appearance were the chains around her wrists - useless unless the intent of them were decoration – and the chains around her ankles, the ends of which were in some burly man's hands.

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Gou kneeled in front of Haruka, her enchanting eyes momentarily stalling his thought process. She placed the jug between them and cupped her hands in the water. Haruka's eyes followed her process – almost methodically – as she lifted her hands to his lips.

"Gou," came the king's warning voice. She ignored him, pressing her fingers to Haruka's slightly parted lips. He could see the coy smile forming on her lips behind the fabric. Haruka swallowed dryly. Gou tipped the cool liquid into his mouth and drew her hands away once he was finished drinking.

The burly man yanked on her chains. Hard.

Her leg was jerked so hard she fell to the ground unceremoniously, narrowly avoiding knocking over the jug.

"That's enough, Sosuke," the king said, exhausted, "Return the princess to her chambers." Sosuke swooped down and heaved Gou over his shoulder. Her chains clanked together. She let her body go limp however her eyes never left Haruka's face.

Haruka wiped the corner of his mouth with his scarf. He moved the jug in front of Makoto, keeping his gaze low to avoid the confusion in any of their faces. Even Haruka wasn't sure what to make of Gou's gesture.

"Please excuse my sister's actions," the king told them, though it sounded more like an order. His eyes had returned to the former icy king from earlier. "As my apology for assuming you all were spies, please stay here for as long as you'd like." He stood. "I am Rin, first Prince of Baghdad and I formally welcome you to my beloved city."

Haruka's fingers brushed over the hilt of his dagger. Rin's eyes spoke quite clearly to him. "We accept your hospitality, Your Majesty," Makoto's voice was the definition of polite.

Rin nodded, flipped his massive cloak over his arm and exited the throne room, giving instructions for the four men's' living arrangements.

His unspoken words loitered in Haruka's ears. _Stay away from my sister._

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**Further **character development ahead and hopefully when that time comes, I'll be better at writing these characters! (Maybe it was a horrible idea to combine pre-developed and developed characters personalities…) Ah well, I hope you liked it regardless and look forward to the next chapter!

~Emerald~


	2. Chapter 2

**Pairings: **Haruka Nanase X Gou/Kou Matsuoka

**Timeline: **Arabian AU

**Warnings: **Upped the rating as this story will now include smut. Also, slightly homoerotic situations?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Free! Iwatobi Swim Club nor do I own the cover photo.

**Authors Note: **I didn't expect that many reviews for the first chapter, so thank you! I'm honestly so glad my first contribution to the Free fandom was well received. Anyways, enjoy!

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When Sosuke came to Gou telling her that her brother requested she bring foreigners water, she didn't quite expect them to be so… attractive. Generally, visitors to Baghdad were twice as old as Rin and quite lecherous. However, the darkest haired boy was absolutely stunning. His dark hair contrasted with his bright blue eyes Gou wondered how such a combination ever came to be.

So she decided while he stayed here, she'd play with him. Anything to bother her brother who kept her chained to this god forsaken palace would be welcomed. Gou slid off her bed, her chains clattering against the floor. Her unnecessarily large bed was round and covered in white silk sheets with elaborate red throw pillows. She hated it. She hated everything about her life. She desperately wished the windows in her room weren't merely for decoration and that they could actually open and let in the hot breeze from the Sahara desert.

She palmed the glass, praying to Allah that if he truly existed, he could offer her freedom. Gou never wanted to be born a Princess and she sure didn't ask for a brother so bull-headed as the one she was given. Most girls her age were married by this time and Rin kept her locked up in her room lest he decide she could provide some form of entertainment.

Gou cursed. She sank to the floor, the cool marble providing little comfort against her bare bottom under her wispy dress, curling her fingers against the glass. Perhaps she was slightly resentful for Rin placing her in the highest room with the best view of the desert. She could see the stretch of freedom before her and she'd never have access to it. It might have been the cruellest thing Rin has ever done to her.

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Uncomfortable, Haruka rolled over and gazed blankly at the dark desert sky. He wondered why he agreed to stay in Baghdad. Surely it wasn't mainly for the water Baghdad provided, though loathe of him to admit, it might have been. He just wanted to find his own oasis where the lack of water didn't matter, where he could be his own free man and live out his days doing as he pleased. Yet it seemed all he's been doing lately is pleasing other people.

He chalked up his discomfort to the soft cushions in his bed. He's used to rather hard and lumpy beds whereas here in this palace, everything had to be a luxury item. Haruka frowned a tad, considering if his true discomfort came from the beautiful Princess. He had never been well versed in the art of women and after her little show with the water jug, his inexperience shone.

Did the star glow brighter in Baghdad? Haruka's never quite seem them so bright before in his life. It probably just meant his search for water was over and he could finally rest for a while, after all, Baghdad didn't appear like it was in a short supply of water.

Haruka, albeit concerned by his growing curiosity, was interested in learning why the princess was in chains. Had something transpired for the king to suddenly treat his sister no better than a slave or was it really just because the king cared so little for the girl? Of course it couldn't have been the second option since the king had practically ripped of Haruka's head with his mind.

The day had dragged by so long that Haruka was genuinely shocked he hadn't given into the clutches of sleep. Rather, he felt more awake than during the day. It's an odd phenomenon given that it rarely happens to him. His body feels like lead yet his mind is whirling with the information he's been given today.

He kind of missed the feeling of the hot desert sun on his skin.

* * *

"I didn't catch your name yesterday," a sweet, melodist voice said, jarring Haruka out of his own thoughts. He hadn't meant to wander out of his room quite so early that morning but he just felt to restless that he couldn't stay in his room any longer.

He turned around, mildly shocked that the sweet voice belonged to none other than the princess. He honestly shouldn't have surprised by the fact. Haruka didn't answer her right away; instead he just gazed at her. Her ruby eyes glowed in the dusk. Gou's hair flowed past her shoulders in waves, once again weaved with jewels. He questioned how long it took her to do that every morning, especially considering the time.

"I'm Kou," she said once his silence stretched into the minutes. Haruka inclined his head. "Ah… I prefer the name Kou to Gou." Pink dusted the apples of her cheeks.

Haruka nodded, "Haruka." He internally frowned. When was the last time he ever introduced himself by his full first name? Conceivably it was due to her own distaste of her given name.

Gou beamed. He noticed that she wasn't wearing the translucent cloth over her mouth this morning. "It's a pleasure to meet you… Haru."

He was astonished over this. He would have assumed she would have just called him Haruka since he gave her no other alternative yet here she was saying his preferred name in her honeyed voice.

Gou opened her mouth to say something but changed her mind. Haruka himself wasn't sure what to say. The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable nor was it tranquil. It was somewhere in between those stages however it didn't really bother Haruka.

"Why are you standing ankle deep in the pool?" Gou finally asked, breaking the silence that he'd grown accustom to.

Haruka glanced down as if he'd forgotten he was standing in the shallow pool. He'd discovered it while wandering aimlessly through the palace in the courtyard and he couldn't help himself. The surface of the water was covered in water lilies and lotus' and it looked refreshing so he decided to take a dip.

"I don't know," he answered.

Her smile never lessened. "You're not a man of many words." He dropped his gaze once again, opting to stare vacantly at a lotus which had floated closer to his ankle. "Does it feel nice?"

Haruka hesitated. A part of him wanted to just ignore the princess and leave, but another _stronger _part of him feverishly wanted to explore his growing attraction to the burgundy haired girl. He desired to feel her flesh against his, which honestly frightened him considering he's never thought of anyone in that light. Tentatively, he held out his hand.

"Join me." Gou's pretty eyes widened, stunned by his offer. She wasn't supposed to go in water with her chains, which would only rust them in the end, but his hand looked far too tempting to pass up. Gou didn't hesitate quite as long as Haruka did and accepted his hand.

Her hand was soft against his, tiny and dainty, as he assisted her into the water. He ignored the existence of the chains on her appendages and peered down at her. Shyly, she peaked up at him through long lashes. Neither one of them pulled their hands away.

"It feels nice," Gou whispered, although Haruka wasn't sure exactly what it was she referred to. His heart thrummed in his chest when her eyes never left his.

After she returned to her chambers, Haruka sat on the ledge of the pool, scrutinizing his palm. It didn't look any different. It _felt _different. He could still feel her small hand against his own, the searing heat from their intertwined flesh.

This attraction he felt towards the princess… would it last?

* * *

Gou finished fitting the final golden bangle into place, a tender smile on her face. She couldn't stop thinking about her brief talk with Haruka. She had stayed with him, standing in the cool pool, holding his hand while they said nothing. Her heart was still racing.

She curled her legs under her body, clenching her hand to her chest. She's never felt this way around a boy before, though it's to be expected as the only men she's ever been around were her brother and his lovers. Gou wonder why she felt this way.

His sapphire eyes allured her to him. She wanted to know everything about him. He didn't speak much which intrigued her further. His eyes, so full of secrets, so deep and mesmerizing, she could get lost in them.

Gou thought back to when she prayed to Allah for freedom… perhaps getting closer to Haruka ensured her getting closer to freedom.

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**This **chapter… I don't even know… I'm sure if I'm happy with it or if I hate it. It feels like a filler but this story's plot is kinda fuzzy. I may revise this chapter if I decide I'm not happy with it yet I feel like I'm liking the direction Haru and Gou's relationship is going so… Review and tell me what you think.

~Emerald~


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